University of Vienna: the Votive Church becomes an auditorium

Instead of praying, the students of the University of Vienna spread their laptops on the benches of the Votive Church in Vienna-Alsergrund on Monday: they use the holy building as a study and hall because, due to the minimum distances in the conference rooms , not all interested parties attend college conferences on site. can track. The church should also be used as a room between courses and for group work.

Even before entering, a poster with information on safety and distance rules, including the requirement to wear a mask, draws attention to the new alliance with the university. A hand sanitizer dispenser is placed just past the church portal. “Works” is an allusion to the university motto (“Works of the University of Vienna. Since 1365.”). The shared use of the “Ringstrasse Dome”, for which the university pays a small amount of expenses, has brought with it more additional equipment: there is now WiFi and the church is connected to the university’s fiber optic line, a toilet trailer on the esplanade. In addition, our own security personnel check if the hygiene and distance regulations are observed.

While just after nine o’clock, only three students had entered the hot “Ringstrasse Dome”, an hour later, around 50 young women and men were scattered on the benches, staring at their laptop screens in devoted silence.

The Votive Church is normally accessible to both believers and tourists. Fairs are not affected by students. According to a spokesperson for the rector’s office, these are not foreseen in the period from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm, when the university uses the church as a study and recreation room.

The new cooperation will initially run until the end of October. If the test run is successful, an extension is possible.